Swansea 3-1 Bolton
Last updated on .From the section Football
Swansea City continued their impressive Premier League start as they extended their unbeaten home record to slide Bolton further into relegation trouble.
Joe Allen enhanced his reputation by firing Swansea in front moments after Bolton went down to 10 men when Ricardo Gardner was given a second yellow card.
Scott Sinclair's third successive home penalty doubled Swansea's lead as Angel Rangel was fouled by Darren Pratley.
Danny Graham scored an own goal before his late strike sealed Swansea victory.
The Welsh side should have won more comfortably as both Graham and Sinclair hit the Bolton woodwork and Allen missed another good chance in a dominant second-half display.
Their defeat adds to Bolton boss Owen Coyle's early season problems as the Trotters fall another place following their eighth defeat in nine league games.
Swansea moved into the top half of the table with a commanding performance that will have pleased manager Brendan Rodgers.
The Swans felt they should have had a penalty early in the first half following Bolton defender David Wheater's challenge at a corner on Swansea skipper Garry Monk but referee Mark Clattenburg ignored appeals.
Bolton enjoyed the best opening of the first half as lone striker David Ngog - captain Kevin Davies having been named among the substitutes - cracked a shot from 20 yards but his effort was tipped over by Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm.
Graham should have given Swansea the lead just after the break but, after shrugging off Gary Cahill's challenge, the Swansea striker fired Scott Sinclair's cute pass wide.
Swansea cranked up the pressure when Gardner, cautioned for a foul on Nathan Dyer, was dismissed for holding back the lively Swans winger just after restart.
And from the resulting Mark Gower free-kick, Allen took control and ran through a gaping hole in the Bolton defence before sliding the ball coolly inside keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen's near post.
The Wales midfielder's second goal in successive games highlighted why Bolton have the worst defensive record in the Premier League.
Sinclair extended the lead with a calmly dispatched penalty eight minutes later and Allen should have made the game safe for Swansea but the unmarked midfielder fired Dyer's cutback wide from 15 yards.
Graham then hit the crossbar before the Swansea striker's own goal, slicing an inswinging left-wing cross from Chris Eagles into his own net, handed Bolton a lifeline.
Swansea nerves, not helped by letting a two-goal lead slip at Wolves last week, were not eased when Sinclair smashed the ball against the bar as he failed to convert another dangerous Dyer cut-back.
Graham was denied by Paul Robinson's goal-line clearance but then sealed the win in added time with his fourth goal in successive games.
Swansea's record-signing kept his composure when put through one-on-one by Leon Britton's pass to beat Jaaskelainen.
Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers:
"That was a terrific performance against an established side, but the most impressive thing today was how we managed the pressure.
"We spoke in the week that in every game you will have moments, no matter how comfortable you are, where you have to manage the game.
"Last week we failed to do it and drew 2-2, but this week when Danny scored the own goal to put them to 2-1 you then saw the difference in the team.
"We opened up the spaces, passed the ball and hid the ball from the opponents for five or 10 minutes."
Bolton manager Owen Coyle:
"I think the second yellow card, in fairness, Ricardo Gardner has tugged Dyer back. I think we all accept that normally results in a yellow card.
"The first one I wasn't sure about in terms that it was such an innocuous foul. I think it was the first yellow card awarded in the game.
"It felt like two soft yellow cards, but that's the nature of the game now.
"But having said that, (Neil) Taylor in the first half clearly pulled Mark Davies back and it went unpunished. I think ultimately we want a bit of consistency in the game."
